Wellness Cruise Concept Attract Those Who Are Grieving

Nationally known grief expert and former A & E Television personality, Edy Nathan, MA, LCSW, believes she has created a much needed niche in the field of grieving and bereavement, which is good news for the 80+million baby boomers in the U.S. today, many of whom will have (or already have) lost parents, spouses, or children. Factoring into the grief equation those who suffer from grief due to major personal financial loss, jobs, the trauma of war, relationships, divorce, or dealing with health issues, the number significantly increases as people search for the right tools to help them cope and come to terms with their loss and pain.

Nathan is hosting a “Turning Grief into Grace” concept cruise from Tampa on November 7 - 11 that she hopes will give people, especially widows, widowers, retirees and singles an opportunity to combine the healing powers of being at sea with interactive workshops to give them insight and coping mechanisms into the many phases of grief. Heightening the cruise experience for participants will be the opportunity to mingle with like-minded people who share your pain and are navigating their own paths of the grief process.

Ultimately, she hopes the four-night, five day experience will give people a better understanding of how our society has changed its beliefs about the process of grieving. Over the past few decades, researchers are redefining how grief exists in our cultural make-up. It is important to understand that the overall meaning of when grief occurs and who it touches has changed significantly.

“Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss,” says Nathan. “The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried – and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Grief is like your fingerprint. It is as individual as you are! Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.”

Nathan has developed a comprehensive support program that she will use on the cruise that will serve as a life tool for participants and includes a series of lectures, workshops and small group interactions. The cruise is sponsored by Sarasota's Vista Spiritual Center.

For more information about the Turning Grief into Grace Cruise, visit Edy’s website; or Sarasota's Vista Spiritual Center, or call Tawnee Sons at Cruise Planners/American Express, 954-306-9845.

Edy Nathan, MA, LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience specializing in the integration of psychotherapy and the world of spirituality. She holds a Masters from New York University and Fordham. Nathan has post-graduate training from the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, The Gestalt Center and the Jungian Institute. She is a certified EMDR practitioner, regression therapist and certified Hypnotherapist.

In her expertise as a grief therapist, she interweaves her formal training as a psychotherapist with her views on trauma, abuse, and death. She believes that everyone experiences grief throughout their lives. Grief is not just about the death of a loved one, but the losses we experience in life.